Episode 14: Ken Britt, Chief Operating Officer and Chancellor, Marian University

As the founding dean of the Marian University Klipsch Educators College, the University’s former senior vice president of strategic growth and innovation, and now as Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Ken Britt has made a significant difference on-campus through faith, fortitude, leadership, and determination. With humbleness and through hard work, he draws inspiration to find solutions from the world around him while serving as a source of encouragement to others. In this episode of Luminate: Navigating the Unknown Through Creative Leadership with Sarah Hempstead, Britt shares his own leadership journey and how owning a mission has resulted in changing the world for the better.

Transcript

Sarah Hempstead: Welcome to Illuminate Navigating the Unknown through Creative Leadership. I'm Sarah Hempstead, a leader in creative problem solving and principal in charge at Schmidt Associates. Today I'm thrilled to have Dr. Kenneth Britt join us as our guest with extensive experience in K 12 education and higher education.

Sarah Hempstead: Dr. Britt is now the Chief Operating Officer and chancellor of the Marion University Indianapolis Campus, where he has dedicated to achieving excellence in learning and growth. He's received numerous accolades, including the prestigious junior achievement of Central Indiana. Indy's best and brightest award, and in this episode we'll dive into his journey as a leader and explore his unique perspective on creative leadership.

Sarah Hempstead: Thanks for joining us, 

Ken Britt: Sarah. Thanks for having me. I'm humbled to be here. 

Sarah Hempstead: That's very sweet. Now, you have taught everything from leadership, public relations for Catholic school leaders. Educational psychology. You've even taught computer aided drafting just in case this whole leadership doesn't work out.

Sarah Hempstead: Yep. I have a fallback 

Ken Britt: plan. 

Sarah Hempstead: Excellent. Jump right back into the architecture world. I usually find that people who choose teaching as their career have had really great teachers in their past. Who, who are your great teachers? 

Ken Britt: Well, I've been blessed to have a number of really exceptional teachers and mentors in my life.

Ken Britt: And, you know, no one in my family ever went to college, so I didn't know that I was gonna go to college. So, uh, really relied on a lot of other people to. You know, seeing me, what maybe I didn't necessarily see in myself. And I remember the reason I went into teach math was my, uh, 10th and 11th grade math teacher, uh, Mr.

Ken Britt: Cherney. Mr. Cherney was an exceptional math teacher in terms of content, but. He had the added benefit of being really funny and bringing the joy in a subject that isn't necessarily joy filled, and I love that about him, and he had such passion. So I really wanted to go into, to following his footsteps and try to be a, a teacher in math and make the world a better place.

Sarah Hempstead: So was he the one that told you you should go on to college? Who convinced you that that was the path for you? 

Ken Britt: Well, you know, a little bit of a, a complicated story. Um, you know, a friend of mine who had been, um, you know, been friends with forever, um, she was going on college visits. Mm-hmm. And, you know, at that point, and I still think it is today, you could get outta school.

Ken Britt: You know, and, and going college visits without having a, uh, a day off. Uh, and she said, Hey, you wanna go college visits? And I said, sure. So I went on these college tours with her and it was, you know, like a, and it was a lightning bulb moment for me, you know, for, for kids who grow up in poverty, uh, as I did.

Ken Britt: Um, you know, without that. Background in education and, and going off to college. You just don't know what you don't know. And I saw these kids on these campuses and I thought, you know what? They look like me. They talk like me. They're not, you know, the professors aren't speaking Greek. Uh, I think I can do this.

Ken Britt: And at that point it was, uh, maybe my junior, senior year of high school that I said, you know, I think I can, I. I can do this and, and go to college and I love, you know, people and, um, and I think the education is really what God's calling me to do. 

Sarah Hempstead: Talk about that for a little bit. So first generation, you're on college campus.

Sarah Hempstead: Um, what was that like for you? Was it what you expected it to be? 

Ken Britt: So, I. Love to have fun. And college was a great experience for me because I just enjoyed college so much. It took me five years and not that I, you know, I was on a five year plan. I, I didn't, it was an, it was an intentional five year plan and because I just loved college.

Ken Britt: Um, you know, I made a commitment. I, I wasn't the smartest kid in school, but. I made a commitment that I was gonna graduate from college with honors, so it wasn't good enough to just graduate, you know, my family, I wanted to graduate with honors and, you know, barely squeaked by with that. But, uh, it was a great experience.

Ken Britt: I went to a small public college in West Virginia, grew up in Pennsylvania, but it was just across the border and it was just the, you know, one of the greatest experiences of my life. Not only meeting my wife. Um, at the time, but just that foundation and leadership, you know, I got involved in so many different things from theater to student government to intramurals to, you know, student activities for that university to thrive.

Ken Britt: You had to get involved in so many different things, and that gave me a base of leadership that has really propelled me for my entire career. 

Sarah Hempstead: So did you know when you left college that your career would be in educational leadership, or did you think you'd be in a classroom? 

Ken Britt: You know, that's a great question.

Ken Britt: I never really thought too much about it in advance. It's like, okay, what's my next job? Or what am I gonna do moving forward? And you know, looking back, you know, 20 plus years in, in my career, I've never really applied for jobs. It was just things that just were presented, Hey, we need you to come and teach math and computer radio, drafting and physics and you know, theater.

Ken Britt: And I said, sure, why not? Uh, and I was. You know, more of a, a, a yes person if you will. Mm-hmm. Um, you know, I know there's a lot of leadership out theater theories out there that, you know, the, the best word you can say is no the two letter word, but I, I, you know, maybe been the opposite. You know, let's try different things and see what happens.

Ken Britt: Where can I have value and, and, and where can I make a difference? And I remember halfway through my first year teaching, the principal nominated me to go through this leadership formation program. So he picked up really quickly and said, Hey, I'm only gonna be at this school for a few more years. I want you to be poised to take over for me.

Ken Britt: And little did he know, or little did I did I know at the time, you know, as I was going through this program. At the end of that first year of teaching, the superintendent asked me or invited me to be a principal. 

Sarah Hempstead: Mm-hmm. 

Ken Britt: So I was a principal at the ripe old age of 24. So I never really thought about education, educational leadership at the time.

Ken Britt: It was just that next opportunity that someone saw that I could do, um, this job. And I jumped and said yes. And again, the rest is history. 

Sarah Hempstead: So. So tell me, is that how you translated to being the head of school at, uh, Catholic Central? 

Ken Britt: Yes. Great question. Um, we share a common background in Catholic. Central is one of the best experiences of my career in, in, in a relatively small town.

Ken Britt: You know, I, I left the principalship and took a job as a president of a Catholic school system in Wisconsin, and it's not exactly easy to get to from here. You know, I joked and said, you can't get there from here. Um, and, you know, my wife and I had a growing family. We had our second child in Wisconsin, and it was just extremely difficult.

Ken Britt: Not to mention the winters are really, really tough. Uh, you know, we, we really don't know cold until you're in the northwest, uh, where, you know, negative 30 is not uncommon. So, uh, I, I, and you know, really took an admiration to ice fishing. That was a lot of fun. But it was just too far and, and that led me to coming closer to my wife and i's family in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Ken Britt: So Catholic Central was an opportunity that I jumped at, and it was just a great experience, uh, for me. 

Sarah Hempstead: So working within K 12 schools, many people spend their careers in, in K 12 Catholic schools. Uh, you made a different choice. Uh, you'd been there for a while, you'd achieved some great things. And then what happened?

Ken Britt: Well, I, I've always had my foot in the classroom. So, even though I became a principal at a young age, I wanted to maintain that connection to teaching. Mm-hmm. So I started teaching adjunct. So I taught, you know, my first adjunct experience was teaching at a community college, drafting, computer computerated, drafting and design.

Ken Britt: And then I taught, uh, at Ohio University. Mm-hmm. Uh, educational psychology. I taught at the University of Dayton, taught in a number of different places and just found. Higher education. Fascinating. Like I said, I mean, you know, I was on the five year plan that I didn't wanna leave college and just, you know, working with young people.

Ken Britt: Uh, when the, when the opportunity was presented to me to join Dan Elner and his team at Marian University, I thought, you know, this is really a. This is a calling and, and there was just such a conviction about it that I needed to do this. Uh, despite my, um, love for Catholic Central and K 12 Catholic education, this was another opportunity for me to help in even bigger way.

Sarah Hempstead: Well, and, and through all that, a through line has been faith-based education. That's been kind of a focus for you. Talk to me about that. What do you get from it? What do you give to it? Why make that choice? 

Ken Britt: Well, it's a great question. So I was not raised Catholic. Uh, I was not raised in a, in a religious family.

Ken Britt: Uh, met my wife who was raised Catholic when we were in college, and I just had this, um, you know, I saw her in her just love of her faith and her commitment to the faith, and I wanted more of that. So, you know, went to mass with her on a weekly basis for a couple of years before I felt like. This is what God was calling me to do, is to join the Catholic Church.

Ken Britt: And I didn't know it at the time that, you know, I was gonna spend my entire career in Catholic education. I just felt, it felt like that God was calling me to, to the Catholic church and then, you know, that first opportunity that presented itself was to teach at a religious high school, a Marist Brothers high school.

Ken Britt: And I just fell in love with the charism of the Mais brothers and a great leader, brother Renie, uh, was a great mentor for me and, and, and it just gave me more leverage to do things. Um. And, you know, then that just was a commitment that said, you know, this is my calling. Mm-hmm. Um, being involved in Catholic education for my entire career, this is what I'm gonna do.

Ken Britt: And it's been such a joy and I can't wait to see what happens over the next 20 years. 

Sarah Hempstead: Well, one other thing that happened, um, almost immediately, well it seemed like almost immediately, was you became the founding dean of the Cliffs Educators College once you got to Marion, uh, which a huge responsibility, um, record enrollment under your leadership.

Sarah Hempstead: $75 million raised in counting 

Ken Britt: close to a hundred. 

Sarah Hempstead: Alright, so I'm shy. A hundred million dollars, um, recruiting students from, um, uh, all different faith traditions and with a focus on, um, segments of the population that are really underrepresented in, in higher education. Um, talk to me about that initiative.

Sarah Hempstead: What did, what did you learn that you can translate to the next thing and what would you have done a little bit differently if you could do it again? 

Ken Britt: Well, thanks for asking that question. I, I think that, you know, what we learned is there is a hunger and a need out there, especially with our young people to make a significant difference in the world.

Ken Britt: Mm-hmm. And I saw that firsthand when I went out there recruiting students. You know, when I would go into, you know, public schools or Catholic schools or charter schools, and I'm trying to recruit our next generation of teachers, this. Genuine nature of these young people that wanna make a difference is very real.

Ken Britt: And that give, that gives me great hope in our future. And you know, we, we tried to tap into that, you know, mentality and say, okay, look at, look at what you can do with the power of an educator. Right? A a a phrase that I typically have used in my recruiting efforts was, you know, you don't have to be famous to be remembered.

Ken Britt: You'll never forget your favorite teacher. Right, right. I mean, you asked me about my favorite teacher. I'm sure if I asked you about your favorite teacher, you have one in the, you know, one or two seconds. Uh, 

Sarah Hempstead: Mr. Emmonds, he told me not to be an architect. He said, engineers make more money. I think. 

Ken Britt: See, and, and I think that that's, that's.

Ken Britt: True. I mean, you, you'll never forget your favorite teacher. So I think we learned a lot that there is a hunger out there and, and a desire for our young people to go in education. Similar to what you said, people are telling students don't go into education. Right? As sad as that is, they say, don't go into education.

Ken Britt: You can make more money being an architect or an engineer. Uh, and I think that's really sad for society because you know, next to a parent, there's no greater vocation than that of an educator. And I think that, you know, as we move forward in our community here in central Indiana and across the state and the Midwest, we need to do a better job with upholding the teaching profession.

Ken Britt: Mm-hmm. And making sure that they know that they're valued, uh, and that it is a profession that's worthwhile. So that's the next chapter, I think, as we move forward, is to try and mobilize a group of philanthropists, business leaders. Other universities to take the charge and let's lead a campaign to really reinvigorate this idea of the nobility of the education profession.

Sarah Hempstead: Well, and the, the educators college is, is a little different, I think, at Marion University compared to other, other colleges and universities. Uh, your outreach is different. Your hands-on education is different. Um, what other differences do you see in the students that you're producing to send out in the world?

Ken Britt: We, we are different. I mean, you know, someone told me one time it's, uh, it's not bragging if it's true, so let me brag a little bit. Um, you know, we are an outlier. Not only the amount of money that we've raised, I mean that's, that's money's just one way to help, uh, advance the overall mission. And we are the only school in the state of Indiana to receive an a plus rating for the National Council on Teacher Quality.

Ken Britt: Um, that's huge. We're in the top 5% of schools nationally. Right. We're at one of only 48 schools in the country to, to receive that designation, and we're very proud of that. Designation. So that's one, uh, differentiator. We also treat our educators like their physicians in terms of getting their clinical experiences early.

Ken Britt: We only recruit the best and brightest and we put them in a year long residency in a partner school. So it's, it's a much different, uh, way to educate and prepare, but we're seeing a significant impact because when the students go out in their, in their residency year, then they're teaching, they're actually making a significant difference in student performance.

Ken Britt: Mm-hmm. 

Sarah Hempstead: One of the things about being a trailblazer, uh, like you have been like the cliffs, educators colleges, um, is finding new ways to get inspired and learn. And, and one of my, one of my best design mentors said, uh, find the best architects in the world and make sure you steal some of their ideas. Uh, but what he meant was, be inspired by people who are blazing trails.

Sarah Hempstead: What do you do to bring that kind of idea? Those kind of global thinking to Mary. 

Ken Britt: Well, one of my favorite people here in central Indiana is, uh, Denny Spons. Uh, Denny is a godfather of, uh, many different areas. He's just a kind person. He's so, he has so much wisdom. And I met Denny, you know, 10 years ago when I first moved to town.

Ken Britt: And, you know, one of the comments he made to me, which I've really en enjoyed and, and have tried to to leverage, is you can never know too many people. Mm-hmm. I personally am never gonna know everything. About a particular project, actually, I'm gonna be the least, uh, knowledge about something. So I'm pretty good at networking and finding solutions.

Ken Britt: So when I look at a problem, if the president or the board says, Hey, you know, we have an issue going on, let's work to find solutions. I go out and, and you know, quite, uh, humbly just find out who did it before or what are other universities doing, or what are other organizations doing? Um, that, that we can learn from.

Ken Britt: So, you know, one particular and quick example, when the president invited me to really try and rework how we recruited students in our whole admissions process, I literally talked to over 150 people inside Marian University and outside Marian University and thought about how can we reduce the friction.

Ken Britt: On the application process, how can we take that, you know, Amazon two day delivery, Amazon Prime mentality, and get students in the funnel and get them accepted or, uh, maybe waitlisted or, or, um, you know, um, maybe to, to go through a committee as quickly as possible. So we implemented that. So within 24 hours.

Ken Britt: You know, the majority of our students are gonna be, you know, either admitted or not admitted. Uh, we think that that's really important. So there are a number of different ways, and that wasn't anything that I, that I dreamed up. It was just, you know, looking at outside industry, how can we reduce the friction?

Ken Britt: And there are a number of other ways. So I really look to the outside world, um, for, um, creativity, and I'm always. You know, listening to podcasts, uh, you know, try to enjoy reading, you know, books as much as I can, um, so that we can continue to learn. I mean, I'm an educator, I'm a student. I love to learn. So, um, you never stop learning.

Ken Britt: It is truly a lifelong effort. I. 

Sarah Hempstead: One of the things I've long admired about, about Marian, um, is it was really founded on the idea of servant leadership. They didn't use those words, but that that was the, the idea of the sisters right, is they saw a need, they courageously ventured, um, to meet, to meet the need.

Sarah Hempstead: Um, can you talk about how you see that mentality manifesting itself just every day on campus? 

Ken Britt: Well, the sisters gave us a great gift. In 1851 and we've tried to live that out ever since. And you know, one of the things that I've admired about the Sisters is they've always existed to address our community's most pressing challenges.

Ken Britt: And that challenge in our community changes. Mm-hmm. And you can imagine since 1851 that. You know, when, when, uh, you know, we, we started here, it was about teaching German immigrants and now we've shifted in different areas. So, you know, that's a legacy that we wanna try and live out and, and all of us embracing that leadership, it's not about you particularly as the leader.

Ken Britt: It's about the mission. It's about being other centered. And we try to bring in people who, uh, really embrace that mentality. Uh, we're, we're very fortunate to have a number of different leaders on campus that have, um, embraced that. One of my favorites, uh, is Dr. Leon Jackson and, um, you know, he's the, the, the, the humble, uh, determined person that, uh, you know, really excites me about where we are in our future.

Ken Britt: And I always joke with people that we only hire PhDs. Hm. At Mion, not, not the PhDs that you're thinking about, but the, the, the poor, the humble, and the determined, those are the people who are successful at Marian University. 

Sarah Hempstead: So what qualities do you think make a successful leader? 

Ken Britt: Well, using the PhD, uh, framework, I think, you know, being poor, poor in spirit.

Ken Britt: Mm-hmm. Right. You know, a commitment to your faith. Humble. It's not about you, it's about being other centered and determined. I mean, um. Um, I'm going to, you know, go out on a limb and say that most successful leaders aren't the smartest people, but they're going to outwork everybody else. Like they're determined no matter what.

Ken Britt: And you see that with our president. I mean, he leads the way with, you know, his commitment and his passion. Mm-hmm. Uh, so those, those are some other things I think that, you know, make his successful leaders. Um, you have to have passion and certainly Dan emulates that passion. Dan Elsner, the president, um, Dr.

Ken Britt: Jackson emulates that passion. I try to emulate that passion that. And, uh, making sure that you bring people along and engage them in this work. And if you're passionate and you engage people to own the mission, they get really excited and you shape a really strong vision, um, which is another aspect of strong leadership.

Ken Britt: Uh, there's a scripture that says, without a vision, the people perish. Not, not the parish that we think of, but, but parish. Um, it, it's, it's really important to have that vision, right? If you don't have a vision, what do people have a hope for? Right? Hope is a future that is a desire but not yet achieved.

Ken Britt: And if you have the passion and the hope for the vision, and you engage people, amazing things truly can happen. 

Sarah Hempstead: So think about for a minute, applying that to tough decisions and tough calls. 'cause sometimes we have, as leaders, we have to do unpleasant things. How, how do you apply that thinking, uh, to making really hard decisions?

Ken Britt: Well, it's a great question and I think we continue to learn every day, right? Courageous leadership isn't just a one time decision or a one time issue. I mean, it is, you know, dealing with the challenge. Um, so I think first. What I've tried to do is reflect on, um, you know, some advice that the superintendent gave me that wanted me to be a principal.

Ken Britt: And it was the first difficult decision that I had to make to terminate, um, a teacher, uh, which nobody likes to go through any terminations, but he said to me, Ken, if your kids were in this classroom, would you have a problem? And I said, yes. And he said, then you have to treat. This decision, like every single kid is your kid in that classroom.

Ken Britt: So that was good advice that, that I had to think about and reflect on and say, you know, the right decision isn't always easy. Um, and you have to find that courage to make sure that you have the mission in mind because it's about the perpetuation of the mission. Mm-hmm. You know, one of my, uh, books, you know, that, that I enjoyed reading is called The Infinite Game.

Ken Britt: From Simon Sinek and you know, our goal is to continue playing the education game. It's never to win in education, right? I mean, we're not gonna win an education, I dunno, that looks 

Sarah Hempstead: like, 

Ken Britt: I mean, I'd love to know what it looks like. Yeah. Here we go. Okay. We can stop. So, you know, to continue playing the game and to perpetuate that mission, um, especially at Mion, you have to make difficult decisions.

Ken Britt: Uh, you have to push and, um, sometimes pull, sometimes you have to step back as a leader and let someone else lead and. You know, I think that if you have that servant's mentality that it's not about you and you have that conviction and calling those decisions, um, while they're not easier to make, uh, they're at least made with more, uh, consciousness and awareness that it's the right thing to do.

Sarah Hempstead: Talk about the role of communication in your day to day. You have staff that reports to you. Um, you've talked about showing, uh, leadership through, showing people what, what the moan grass is supposed to look like, uh, through your passion, through your work ethic. Like, um, but communication day to day, um, is, is critical.

Sarah Hempstead: And letting staff know who they're supposed to be and where you're supposed to go. How do you, how do you think about communication? 

Ken Britt: Well, it's a great question. It's probably one of the areas that I need to continue to work on. Um, you know, I, I'm, I'm, as Dan Elsner had mentioned to me one time, he said, Ken, you know, you're, you're such a visionary leader, you kind of keep moving, but then sometimes you look behind you and you've outstripped your supply line and you know, you just think, Hey, we're gonna keep going and going and going.

Ken Britt: And you stop back and say, wait a minute, where is everybody? Uh, and then you have to wait and then for everybody to catch up. So I think that that's something I continue to try to work on in, in, in all humility. But I. At least for me, what I try to do is to show appreciation as much as I can. Legitimate appreciation.

Ken Britt: Not, not this, you know, fake appreciation, but truly knowing people, you know, getting to know them, who they are, what their desires are, uh, what their future holds, um, and then really encouraging them to own the mission themselves. And I think that's part of communication is how do you see your role fitting into this vision?

Ken Britt: And I think that that's really important because any one particular person isn't gonna be able to accomplish anything when you think about it. Mm-hmm. You have to engage people so that they own the mission and own the particular project. So from a communication standpoint, it's just that continual, repetitive, uh, coming back to the project so that you don't get, you know, um, too distracted.

Ken Britt: Uh, which is very easy to do in higher education. We can get distracted very easy, you know, with the shiny object syndrome. But, you know, staying focused and continually focusing on that project and communicating that is, is one of the keys to success. 

Sarah Hempstead: So you started in leadership very young, which means you're actually very young now to be doing all the things that, that you've done.

Sarah Hempstead: So it's almost too early to think back on legacy, but I'm gonna ask you to do it anyway. Someday. What do you hope people say about your legacy in education? 

Ken Britt: Well, that hopefully it's a long time from now. A long time from now. I guess you're right. It's, uh, the future is, is a pretty long runway. Um, you know, I, I don't know.

Ken Britt: I, I've not really reflected on that, honestly. I mean, I, I, I truly try to keep my head down to do the best I can and the job that's in front of me. Um. You know, I, I, I don't look and, and reflect maybe as often as I should. Uh, I, I want people to remember me as a good person. Mm-hmm. Right? I mean, I wanna treat people with respect and, um, I, I, I, I, you know, dignity.

Ken Britt: Mm-hmm. But I also maybe feel like, um, you know, we can encourage others to join a bigger movement. Like that's. That's something I really enjoy about Marian is we do big things. Mm-hmm. And you know what I learned a lot from the president, even as a mentor before I joined his team is, you know, his focus on doing big things.

Ken Britt: Mm-hmm. And I love that about Marian. I love that about Dan and I try to do that too, is let's do something that's big and meaningful. And I think as I reflect on my leadership, you know, let's say in the next. You know, 30 or 40 years mm-hmm. That, uh, you know, we can look back and say, you know, he treated people with respect.

Ken Britt: Might not, not have agreed with him all the time, but he at least treated me fairly and with respect. And, uh, he made the world a better place through the actions that he, he, um, you know, moved forward on. And we need, we did big things together. 

Sarah Hempstead: So, another reflection question, and maybe one that's easier to answer.

Sarah Hempstead: Your younger self probably could have benefited from some of the wisdom you have now midpoint in what's a long career. What, what do you wish, what do you wish 26-year-old principal Ken would've known? 

Ken Britt: Oh, the 26-year-old principal Ken knew everything. 

Sarah Hempstead: Oh, well, that's great. Yeah. Congratulations. 

Ken Britt: Yeah. He, he was wise beyond his years.

Ken Britt: Um, I, I, I think that what, what I would tell 26-year-old Ken is, uh, not to have the, uh, Superman complex, uh, that creates a lot of stress. And it created a lot of stress, you know, at that point that, you know, everything doesn't live and die with your actions. Mm-hmm. And I think that's really important for leaders.

Ken Britt: Like you're, you're okay. You don't have to do everything. I mean, when I was, you know, a principal, I would. You know, when we were trying to advance the school and we couldn't afford something, I would go in on weekends and, you know, uh, put up, uh, you know, bathroom wallboard, uh, for whiteboards. Like we couldn't afford whiteboards.

Ken Britt: So, you know, I went to Lowe's and bought, you know, the whiteboards and then we took a lot of effort. I stripped the floors in the library, you know, I rented a sander and then I, you know, res sanded it and, uh, uh, stained the floors and, you know, those types of things are. Admirable. Um, but at the same time it can be very exhausting.

Ken Britt: And, you know, I probably could have reflected and said, okay, who else can I engage? You know, get the community involved. They'd love to do it. And, uh, I didn't wanna do that at the time. I would just jump in and, and, um, I think those were things that were, were a little bit difficult. It was that savior mentality.

Ken Britt: Mm-hmm. Right? That, that superman complex and some things, I think that can be good, but it can also be destructive and burn people out very, very quickly. 

Sarah Hempstead: Well, and that kind of goes directly into my next topic, which now as a grownup, you have a family, you have a big stressful job, you have some, some side big, stressful jobs.

Sarah Hempstead: Uh, how, how do you balance it all? 

Ken Britt: Well, I think, you know, having a, a strong, uh, relationship as I do with my wife, uh, at home is. Number one. Um, and I've been extremely blessed and joke often, um, which is serious that I definitely married up. Uh, unfortunately she married down. When someone marries up, someone else has to marry down.

Ken Britt: So she married down. But, you know, she truly, uh, is able to run, you know, she's the CEO of the household. So that allows me the freedom and flexibility to focus on my vocational calling here at Mion. And to, to be the leader that, you know, the university needs me to be. That I don't, you know, I know that she has everything taken care of.

Ken Britt: Um, you know, try to have, you know, as much fun as I can. I, I enjoy fishing. I'm not as much of a golfer, although I do golf. Uh, and then projects. I love construction. I did construction work when I was in college, so, you know, I love building, I love, uh, renovating, I love doing things like that where you see that immediate gratification.

Ken Britt: Education's a long game, right? I mean, you never really see the fruits right, of your labor. I mean, sometimes you meet your students that you had when you taught in high school and they're out and they have a family and they're doing great things, and I love that. And I love the, you know, when they, when they still actually call me.

Ken Britt: Uh, that I haven't taught 'em for, you know, 20 years or so. They're still calling. They find me somehow. But, uh, so that's a lot of fun. And you, you, that, that's great reward, but that immediate, um, gratification of seeing something that you build or you paint or something like that is really fun. And that's a, it's a, it's a nice balance.

Ken Britt: And then of course, uh, commitment to your faith. Um, you know, I joined the, the Catholic church when I was in college. And that's been an extremely important part of, uh, you know, your grounding and, and continue to learn and grow and your own faith is, uh, really, really important. 

Sarah Hempstead: One question I ask everybody kind of as we're wrapping up here, is one book you'd recommend that everybody who's listening reads, 

Ken Britt: okay.

Ken Britt: It doesn't have 

Sarah Hempstead: to be your favorite book 'cause that's not fair. 

Ken Britt: Yeah, it's, it's, I mean, someone who, who, uh, wa was delayed in reading. Um, not, I mean, I, I knew how to read, but I mean, I didn't really read until I got to college. Um, you know, I, I didn't read a lot, but now, you know, just try to, to consume as much as I can.

Ken Britt: Can I give you two? You can gimme two. Alright. I'll give you two books. These aren't my favorite, but this is something that's been on my mind for the last couple years. One I already mentioned is The Infinite Game. I think that's an important book for leaders to read, not just nonprofit or higher education leaders, but I think you know, all leaders can benefit from, it's called The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek.

Ken Britt: It's a good leadership book. Uh, my, my leadership team, uh, has read that book. Uh, the second is a fun book. I recommend listening to it on audio book. Um, it's called Blue Fishing, the Art of Getting Things Done. Uh, Steve Sims is the, is the, uh, author and he narrates. And, um, it's just a great book and, uh, I, I love it.

Ken Britt: And I, I, I. Listen to it at least five times. It's a good quick read, but it's really, you know, a lot of the fun and joy that, that you have in leadership and, um, you know, just, just getting things done, right. I mean, what does it take to get things done? And that's what, you know we have at Marian, is just this bias for action.

Ken Britt: Um, we, we wanna get things done and it's, it's a really good book for those who like to get things done. 

Sarah Hempstead: Alright, and the final question as, as you think about your leadership journey, is there one story, however big or small that sticks out of where you made a difference? You made a difference for that kid, you made a difference for that program.

Ken Britt: Well, I, I mean, we have a number of stories. I mean, if you're involved in leadership positions, I mean, you influence a lot of people when you have such a, a great, uh, enjoyment about seeing things in action. But I think maybe one of the more recent, um, experiences that we had when, uh, you know, both of us have gone on these leadership exchange trips with the Indy Chamber, and that's been a great joy for me, not being from the city.

Ken Britt: But you learn a lot. You learn a lot from these different. Um, places that you go, just you learn a lot from each other and the networking and the building, the relationships. But, uh, long story short, when we went to Seattle. And I just sat there listening to the executives from am, from uh, uh, Microsoft particularly, and they were talking about their growing adult population, uh, on, uh, the autism spectrum.

Ken Britt: Mm-hmm. And that was a moment that it's, it's, it's difficult to describe mm-hmm. Right? When you have, I mean, we call it the Holy Spirit, but I mean, it's just this feeling that I had at the time that said, okay, Marian has always addressed our community's most pressing challenges. This is something that we can have a meaningful difference on.

Ken Britt: So I came back and talked to the president about what we might be able to do in this area, and, and Dan's phenomenal leader. I mean, he said, Ken, look, if you, this is great. I, I like the idea. If you can, you know, pull a group together and start this program and get the funding, then let's do it. And it, you know, we're going into our second year now, you know, we started the program called Spectrum of Nights.

Ken Britt: After, you know, a year long study from all these different universities and what they were doing, and we took bits and pieces to make it, um, our own Marian Way. And, and we hired some exceptional young people to help run this program. And just seeing the experience now of bringing in the, the really, the first.

Ken Britt: Group of families and to see their joy, that there's gonna be a university that's gonna be committed to ensuring the success of their son or daughter. Hmm. And that is, is, is again, it is hard to describe how you feel, uh, about that one idea from an indie chamber trip that now has, you know, fast forward a few years, seen it in the reality that's what keeps you going, you know, those types of moments.

Ken Britt: Um, that's just, you know, maybe the most recent. Uh, experience. That's awesome. 

Sarah Hempstead: Well, Ken, thank you so much for your friendship, for your time today. Um, it's been such a pleasure speaking with you. As always, say hi to your wife. 

Ken Britt: Thank you. No, I, I appreciate you, you know, being invited here and appreciate all the work you do.

Ken Britt: You're so involved in our community and I've admired your leadership. I've taken a Paige outta your playbook to try and, uh, impact. You know, as many areas as I can and try and make this community a better place as I know you have. So, thank you very much. That's awesome. 

Sarah Hempstead: Um, to learn more about Marion University and all the innovation currently happening on campus, visit marion.edu or just show up on campus.

Sarah Hempstead: It's a beautiful, great place to be. And thank you for listening to Illuminate Navigating the Unknown through creative leadership. We hope this episode has inspired you and has supplied valuable insight into the world of creative leadership and into your own leadership. Don't forget to just subscribe to our podcast wherever you get your podcast, so you never miss an episode.

Sarah Hempstead: We'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback. Please feel free to reach out to us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at Schmidt Associates and on Twitter at Schmidt asso. And until next time, keep navigating the unknown with creativity and confidence. Thanks.